Side Table Upcycle

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A long time ago, at some auction or another, we picked up this little side table in a box of “stuff”. We already have a sturdy nest of tables that we received as a wedding present so this little table was eventually relegated to the porch where it sat forlorn for the longest time.

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It has a lovely, simple shape, but just looked tired and boring. So one fine day I decided to do a little makeover: I promise, this has to be the easiest craft I possibly have ever undertaken.

Ridiculously so.

Despite the ease with which it was done, I started this months ago (I had planned on it being a Christmas present) and then left it. Just this week, I finished it off and I must say I am super-pleased with the result!

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To start, I lightly sanded it down just to give it a bit of “tooth” and then painted it in the same paint I used for the island unit in the kitchen:

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Farrow and Ball Blue Green. I gave this several coats until I was happy with it with, then left it to mature for a month or two 😉

I had bought some decoupage papers at a fair before Christmas; these are very light tissue papers specifically made for this purpose. To be honest, I didn’t think I would actually use it for decoupage, but then, I surprise myself all the time!!

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I cut out the piece of paper exactly the size I wanted it and painted Mod Podge over the area to be decoupaged (there is a rectangular raised part, and I decided to just decoupage that bit, leaving a “frame” of paint around the edges) Carefully, oh, very, very carefully, I stuck the paper down, rubbing it gently to smooth out any air bubbles. Once glued down, I painted a thin layer of Mod Podge as a varnish, and later varnished it with an acrylic sealant to protect it.

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And there you have it. I am now casting my gaze around the house at all the possible projects

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(our bed would be truly fabulous in a vibrant red) (and I have a chair and chest of drawers that are looking increasingly likely to get a makeover. Very soon)

But first, I am going to sand this down in readiness for its new lease of life:

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Nothing, just nothing will be safe from now on…